Jeremiah 2:7

7 I brought you to a fertile land^[a] to eat its fruit and bounty, but after you entered, you defiled My land; you made My inheritance^[b] detestable.

Jeremiah 2:7 Meaning and Commentary

Jeremiah 2:7

And I brought you into a plentiful country
"Into the land of Carmel", as in the Hebrew text; that is,

``into the land of Israel, which was planted as Carmel,''

as the Targum paraphrases it; with wheat, barley, vines, fig trees, pomegranates, and olives; a land flowing with milk and honey, ( Deuteronomy 8:8 ) , so Ben Melech: to eat the fruit thereof and the goodness thereof;
of vineyards and oliveyards, which they had not planted, and for which they had never laboured, ( Joshua 24:13 ) : but when ye entered ye defiled my land;
which the Lord had chosen above all lands, where he would have a temple built for his worship, and where he would cause his Shechinah or glorious Majesty to dwell; but this they defiled by their sins and transgressions, and particularly by their idolatry, as follows: that made mine heritage an abomination;
by devoting it to the worship of idols, as the Targum paraphrases it.

Jeremiah 2:7 In-Context

5 Here is what the Lord says: What fault did your fathers find in Me that they went so far from Me, followed worthless idols, and became worthless themselves?

6 They stopped asking: Where is the Lord who brought us from the land of Egypt, who led us through the wilderness, through a land of deserts and ravines, through a land of drought and darkness, a land no one traveled through and where no one lived?

7 I brought you to a fertile land to eat its fruit and bounty, but after you entered, you defiled My land; you made My inheritance detestable.

8 The priests quit asking: Where is the Lord? The experts in the law no longer knew Me, and the rulers rebelled against Me. The prophets prophesied by Baal and followed useless idols.

9 Therefore, I will bring a case against you again. [This is]*The bracketed text has been added for clarity. the Lord's declaration. I will bring a case against your children's children.

Footnotes

• [a] Jr 4:26; Ex 3:8; Dt 1:25
• [b] Jr 3:19; 12:7,14